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It’s the season for airline discounts. Depending on where you want to travel and how far ahead you are able to plan, you can score some serious savings this month. This is especially true if you are planning on traveling in India and Southeast Asia. Several major airlines, including always-cheap AirAsia, are lowering their fares to get fliers to buy tickets for 2016 dates.
Yes, there are some noteworthy deals out there, and yes, there are catches to each and every one of them. The biggest catch: you will have to plan way ahead to score the lowest prices.
AirAsia’s weeklong promotion
AirAsia is kicking off a massive sales event. The low-cost carrier will be selling as many as three million tickets to 20 different countries over the coming week. Even by AirAsia standards, the prices are impressively low. People in Malaysia can score the biggest discounts. Domestic one-way flights between some cities in the Southeast Asian nation will be less than RM100 (that’s under $25). Regional flights to Goa and South Korea are in the RM200-300 range for a one-way ticket (roughly $50-$70). Taxes are included in the fares.
Unless you are living in Malaysia, this might not seem like a great deal, but it could give travelers a chance to add a leg or two to their East Asian vacation while still staying within budget.
Unfortunately, taking advantage of these fares means planning ahead… way ahead. Tickets must be purchased this week (Oct. 19-25), but the travel dates are not until 2016: you’ll have to fly next year between March and the end of October.
Flying from India
Travelers who are planning to pass through Mumbai can add low-cost legs to their trip. They might not even have to fly on a budget airline to get the best deals. Singapore Airlines is offering $300 fares between Changi and Mumbai. Malaysian Airlines, meanwhile, has flights from Mumbai to Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Bangkok and other Southeast Asian destinations for one-way prices that start at less than $300.
Gender-based discounts
You might also be able to get a cheap upgrade to business class if you fly Air India between now and the end of the year. There is a huge catch though: you can’t be male. In an effort to fill its business class cabins while giving itself some positive PR at the same time, India’s national carrier is offering a 25 percent discount to female fliers who want to travel in business class Unfortunately for international fliers, this promotion is only offered on domestic flights.
With Diwali, Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year coming up, prices are bound to rise, so this may well be the last hurrah for deal-seekers who are looking for cheap travel options in East and South Asia.
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